Bruce Logan, a renowned English cinematographer and effects artist, best known for his work on Star Wars: A New Hope and other notable Hollywood films, has passed away at the age of 78.
In a statement issued to the Hollywood Reporter, Logan’s wife, Mariana Campos-Logan, revealed that he passed away on April 10 following a brief illness. His daughter, Mary, paid tribute to him on Instagram last week, describing him as “a rebel with a camera, a pioneer with a story, and my personal hero.” She remembered him as “a visionary cinematographer, director, and visual effects pioneer” who “didn’t just work on movies – he made magic.”
Logan was born on May 15, 1946, and began creating animated films at the age of 14, which eventually led to his work in visual effects by the time he was 19. In 2014, he credited his father, Campbell, who directed several classical dramas for the BBC, with teaching him how to use a split-screen technique, which was his first-ever special effect. Logan recalled that his father instilled in him the importance of making every frame of a film a perfect picture and introduced him to the works of great directors, including Stanley Kubrick.
Interestingly, Kubrick was the first director to give Logan his first screen credit. At 19, Logan worked as a visual effects artist on 2001: A Space Odyssey under the supervision of Doug Trumbull. Throughout his 50-year career, Logan worked on visual effects for films like Batman Forever, Airplane, and Star Wars, where he was part of the second unit team that filmed the explosion of the Death Star. He also contributed to Blade Runner, as his work on the unreleased Zabriski Pointe appeared in the opening titles of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film. Additionally, Logan’s cinematography career included work on the first Tron and The Incredible Shrinking Woman, as well as music videos for Prince and Madonna. He also briefly ventured into film directing with the 1986 film Vendetta.
Logan is survived by his wife, daughter, and another child, Campbell.
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